Originally Posted By Darkbeer <a href="http://ktla.trb.com/news/ktla-octastrikeends" target="_blank">http://ktla.trb.com/news/ktla- octastrikeends</a>,0,340275.story?coll=ktla-news-2 >>Negotiators for about 1,100 Orange County bus drivers reached a tentative three-year labor agreement with the Orange County Transportation Authority early this morning, a union spokesman said. "We've reached a settlement of the economic issues," Patrick D. Kelly of Teamsters Local 952. Drivers with less than five years experience will start at $14.20 per hour, and get raises in each of the following two years to $14.63 per hour and finally to $15.22 per hour, said Kelly. The two sides are scheduled to meet at 11:30 a.m. today to address some details, but Kelly said he expected picket lines to come down later today and bus service to resume "no later than Sunday." Kelly said he expected the drivers to ratify the tentative deal over the weekend. "We didn't get exactly where we wanted to go,' but the health, welfare and pension went up, too," he said. "We're satisfied and confident that it will be ratified and we can expeditiously resolve the rest of the issues in a few hours." The bus drivers walked off the job seven days ago, marking the first strike of its kind in 21 years. The OCTA has about 220,000 daily riders. Just yesterday, the two sides were only about $300,000 apart in raises, which will come to about $18 million over three years. The OCTA is expected to limp along today, with less than half its 81 lines in service. << Glad to see that OCTA won the battle, and that drivers with 5 years or less are getting a pay raise (The Union wanted all the money to go to only those with 5+ years of service.)
Originally Posted By cmpaley No one wins in a strike, except when public employees strike...then the public agency ALWAYS wins. Why? Usually, public agencies provoke strikes in order to meet budget obligations. Since, unlike private industry, public agencies receive funding regardless of whether they are performing their function or not based on an annual budget, they only need to determine how much savings are needed, how much labor costs and provoke a strike to last accordingly. The LA County MTA did that about seven and four years ago when the MTA provoked two month long strikes. Ultimately, labor got a lot of what it wanted, BUT the employees are still way behind if they hadn't been provoked to strike in the first place. At 52 weeks a year, one week off is the equivalent of 2% of pay lost out of the year.
Originally Posted By alexbook >>Glad to see that OCTA won the battle, and that drivers with 5 years or less are getting a pay raise (The Union wanted all the money to go to only those with 5+ years of service.)<< ...because those with 5+ years of service were gypped in the last contract.
Originally Posted By Darkbeer >>..because those with 5+ years of service were gypped in the last contract.<< They weren't gypped, the Union decided that the most important thing 6 years ago was that there should be a removal of a two-tier pay system. And that is what the Union got, and many drivers have benefited greatly. If some folks gave up something, that was the decision of the Union, who agreed to the deal 6 years ago. FYI, the OCTA drivers will make more than LA Metro drivers.
Originally Posted By cmpaley LACMTA Operators (they're not called drivers up here) will be happy to hear that. Good thing I own a car!
